Sheet-glass-drawing apparatus



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Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

. i, i 1 am ARTHUR E. FOWLE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIG'NOR TO THE LIBBEY-OWENS SHEET GLASS l COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, .A CORPORATION OE OHIO.

SHEET-GLASSDRAWING APPARATUS. i

Application led December 18, 1920. Serial No. 431,534.

To all wlw/n t may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. FowLE, a

i citizen of the United States, residinw at Tomolten glass, and relates especially, to a' v simple and practical apparatus for maintaining the width of the sheet at or near the drawing point, before the sheet has setor assumed a non-plastic forngr One of the main difficulties to be overcome when sheet glass is drawn upwardly from a molten n iass of glass, is the tendency of the sheetto narrow, or draw in at the edges, which will continue, if neglected, until the sheet pulls apart. Some means must be employed to hold the sheet .to a constant andl uniform width. Experience has shown that this may be accomplished by cooling the edge portions of the sheet as drawn, and adding an extra resistance or drag togthe drawing of these edge portions to keep them tightly stretched at the sides of the sheet. ln prior apparatus vthis end has been attained by using slowly rotating rollers above. the source ot the sheet edges, which feed up and from the edge portions of the sheet, at the same time cooling and holding back on these edges. The 'present invention aims to accomplish the same result,I in a`simpler manner, by localized cooling apparatus embodied in the opposite sides gof the -pot or receptacle containingr the molten glass from which the sheet is drawn. This form of pot will form definite areas ot' cool'stiti glass at those points from which the sheet edges are formed, andV the greater resistance offered to `the drawing force by this cooler glass will furnish the necessary drag at the sheet edges.`

The invention will be better understood from the following drawings and detailed description of an apparatus for carrying into practice this invention. A

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 isa vertical transverse section through the sheet drawing apparatus taken substantially in the plane of the drawn sheet, the sheet and water feeding pipes being shown'in elevation.

2-2 of Fig. 1. tate of4 Fig. 2 isa partial plan View of the mechanism, the sheet being in section on the line In both views the apparatus is broken away at its center, the full width of the sheet being greater than shown in the drawings.

The sheet 1 is drawn upwardly from the molten bath of glass 2, in the receptacle or` pot 3, and, in the form of `apparatus indicated in the drawings, is bent laterally over a bending device 4, and carried o horizon- A tally through 'any appropriate form of drawing mechanism and leer. The pot is enclosed by a suitable heating chamber, portions of which are indicated at 5. The mechanism and devices for drawing the sheet and maintaining the proper tempera-4 tures at various points have been omitted.v

from the drawings for the sake of clear-ness.' i

These partsy of the apparatus may be of any suitable type.

The drawing pot or receptacle is made of refractory material and is of the wellknown shallow form indicated in the drawings, having enclosing walls on three of the vertical sides, the fourthside, (at the bottoni'in Fig. 2),. being open to communicate with the continuous tank furnace which supplies the molten glass. At the two opposite sides 6 and 7, the pot is formed with inwardly extending tapered vertical projections8' and 9, the terminating edges-.10 of which lie in the vertical plane of the glass sheet 1. On the outer sides of the pot walls 6 and 7, opposite the projections 8 and 9, are vertical reinforcing ribs or enlargements 11,

.and in the walls between the ribs and projet-tions, are formed recesses 12 to'accommo- 'date the artificial cooling means.

These cooling devices, as here Shown, are metallic castings 13, shaped to fit the recesses or pockets 12 in the wall of the pot, and having triangular inner sides to extendout into'the projections 8 and 9 as indicated in Fig. 2. Each casing 13 is 'divided into two communicating 'c ompart-` ments 14 and 15 by a partition 16, extending downl from the top wall nearly to the bottom wall. An intake pipe 17 `connects with the upper end of chamberl and an outlet pipe 18 connects with the upper end- .of chamber 14. Cold water or otheriluid flows in through pipe 17, `down through chamber 15 and up through chamber 14, as indicated by the arrows, 'and `out through the pipe 18. vThis circulation of cooling fluid serves to maintain the adjacent Walls of the pot, and particularly the inner projections rlv and 9', at a much lower,.tempera ture than the surrounding portio cooled projections will cause local ed areas of substantiallyv cooler, glass to be formed in the molten bath 2, adjacent these projechave contemplated drawing the sheet edges cooler than the from sources which are source from which the central portions of the sheet is drawn. However, the form of pot here shown with self-containing cooling' devices for forming definitely localized areas lng` projections of cooler glass, as sources for sheet edge portions, is believed to be new. The particular form of cooling device illustrated is 4shown merely by way of example, any other eguivalent device, contained within the walls o the pot out of contact with the molten glass, being contemplated as falling within `the sc ope of this invention.

Claims: 1 In an apparatus for producing sheet glass, wherein a sheet is. drawn upward from a mass of molten glass, a pot containl ing the bath of molten glass, said pot havextending inwardly from the side walls adjacent the sources of the sheet edges, and cooling means within the pot walls and out of contact with 'the molten glass for maintaining the projections at a lower temperature than the other portions of the pot.

2. In an apparatus for producing sheet glass. wherein a glass sheet is drawn upward from a massof molten glass, a pot containing the mass of molten glass, said pot having tapered vertical projections extending inwardly from the side walls adjacent the sources of the sheet edge portions, and cooling means within the pot walls-for maintaining these projections at a lower temperature than the other portions of the pot.y

3. In a sheet glass drawing apparatus, a pot containing a bath of molten glass, and means for drawing the glass sheet upwardly therefron'f, the pot vhaving opposed inward projections on thetwo sides yadjacent'the sources ofy the sheet edges, there being pockets in the pot wallsfbehind Ithe projections,

the pockets being open at theto'p above the' glass level, and the molten glass having no access thereto, and fluid cooling means 1n the pockets for lowering the temperature of the projections.

4. In a sheet 0rlass drawing apparatus wherein a sheet of glass is drawn upwardly from a mass of molten glass, a pot containing the-mass of molten glass, having inwardlyzextendin projections on the two opposite vertical si e walls adjacent the sources of the ed pockets within the walls behind these projections, the pockets being open at the top above the glass level, and the molten glass lhaving no `access thereto, and casings fitting within these recesses within which a cooling fimd circulates. 5. In an .apparatus for producing sheet glass, wherein a sheet of glass is drawn upward from a mass of molten glass, a pot containing-the molten glass, said pot having enlargements in the opposite side. walls comprising tapered inward projections extending out into the molten bath, there being vertical pockets with upper` open ends formed in these enlargement-s, the inner sides of the pockets conforming with the tapered projections, and metallic cooling devices fitting within these pockets and each comprising a self-contained fluid cooling system.

6. In an apparatus for producing sheet glass,'wherein a glass sheet is ydrawn upward from a mass of molten glass, a pot containing the mass of molten glass, said pot having tapered vertical projections extending inwardly' from the side walls adjacent the sources of the sheet edge portions said.

projections extending throughout the entire depth of the pot.

l. In an apparatus for producing sheet glass, wlierein a glass sheet is drawn upwardly from a mass of molten glass, a pot containing the mass of molten glass, said pot having pointed vertical projections extending inwardly from the side walls and adjacent the source of th'e sheet edge portions. 4

8. ln an apparatus for producing sheet glass, wherein a glass sheet is drawn upwardly from a mass of molten glass, a pot containing the mass of molten glass, said pot having pointed vertical projections extending inwardly from the side walls and adjacent the 'source of the sheet edge portions, said projections extending throughout the entire 'depth ofthe pot.

l Signed at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, this 16th day of Dec., 1920.

- ARTHUR E. FOVVLE.

ges of the sheet, and recesses ory lill 

